Amadou Diallo
Amadou Diallo, an African American, lived in the Bronx at 1157 Wheeler Avenue, in the Soundview Community. Soundview is approximately 10 miles northeast to Times Square in New York City when taking the Triboro Bridge onto FDR Drive. The East River and other communities such as Clason Point, Parkchester, and Union Port surround it. All of these communities, along with Soundview, are in the 9th district. Next to it are districts 2 (which is located southwest of Soundview, 3 (located northwest of Soundview, 6 (located north northwest of Soundview), 10 (located east of Soundview), and 11 (located north northeast of Soundview). In 1990, in district 2 consisting of Hunts Point and Longwood, the community was mostly Hispanic with 31,115 people out of a total of 39,443 people. 37.14% were under 18 years old and 62.86% were over 18 years old. In district 3, consisting of Claremont, Crotona Park East, Melrose, and Morrisania the community was mostly Black with 31,998 people out of a total of 58,345 people. 34.52% were under 18 years and 65.48% were over 18 years old. In district 6, consisting of Bathgate, Belmont, Bronx Park South, East Tremont, and West Farms the community was also mostly Hispanic origin with 40,025 people out of a total of 68,061. 37.13% were under 18 years old and 62.87% were over 18 years old. In district 10, consisting of Co-op City, Eastchester Bay, Pelham Bay, Throgs Neck, and Westchester Square, the community was mostly White NonHispanic with 65,642 people out of a total of 97,863 people. 14.75% were under 18 years old, while 85.25% were over 18 years old. Finally, in district 11, consisting of Bronxdale, Laconia, Morris Park, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway, and Van Nest, the community was also mostly White NonHispanic consisting of 58,803 people out of a total of 98,299 people. 14.35% were under 18 years old, while 85.65% were over 18 years old. This shows that there is some minority surrounding the Soundview community, but most of the people are actually White NonHispanic.
Amadou Diallo was murdered right outside his house, which was at 1157 Wheeler Avenue. He lived in Soundview, which is a section of the Bronx. It is north of the Bronx River, and also north of Soundview Park. It is right above the Soundview-Bruckner neighborhood, west of Castle Hill, north of Harding Park and Clason Point, south west of Unionport and Parkchester. Bennet Epstein, lawyer for Officer Sean Carroll, says that Soundview “is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York City.” According to the New York City Department of City Planning, in Diallo’s neighborhood he is a minority because there are 18,564 whites, 51,855 blacks, and 88,724 Hispanics. The Hispanics are the majority, and the whites and blacks are the minorities. 33.7% of the people here use some form of Income Support, which shows that the community isn’t very wealthy. 165,743 people live in this district of the Bronx. The Bronx is mainly residential, but the waterfront is used for shipping, industries and warehouses. Yankee Stadium is located in the Bronx, at 161st St. and River Avenue, only 3.1 miles from Diallo’s house.
Amadou Diallo was a 22-year-old man who was shot on Thursday February 5, 1999 right outside of his apartment. He was killed by 4 NYC police officers that had been undercover and assigned to the Aggressive Street Crimes Unit. Critics said that the Street Crimes Unit was targeting young minority men for unjustified "stop and frisk" questioning. Diallo was shot because he was mistaken for a alleged rapist in that area who was being formally convicted of raping 4 women and suspected of raping 51 others. According to the 4 officers Diallo was thought to have been pulling out a gun when the officers shot him, but was in fact supposedly only pulling out his wallet. Diallo was shot at 41 times and was hit with 19 of the bullets. The officers were Kenneth Boss, Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy. Amadou Diallo worked as a street peddler in New York City and was known as a hardworking, shy man who didn’t smoke or drink. He was a Muslim who had recently moved from Guinea, North Africa.
After Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times on Thursday, Feb. 5, 1999 at 12:44 am, as he stood in the doorway of his apartment in the Bronx, the black community, and the country of America was outraged. Many people believed that this action taking by the police was unnecessary and uncalled for, considering the fact that Amadou Diallo had no criminal record and was only reaching for his wallet, when brutally attacked. What made the people around the world, for example in Guinea, statewide, and in the Bronx more infuriated was the fact that on 25 February 2000, the four New York City police officers, Kenneth Boss, Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy were acquitted of all charges by a jury in Albany, New York. In Guinea hundreds of people met the plane that returned his body to the capital, Conakry, including the entire Cabinet. And thousands swarmed to this village about 300 miles northwest of Conakry to bury him. Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist, said, “You’re taking 41 shots…4 different cops…and the jury said nothing is wrong. And it almost sends a signal that whatever a policemen says is enough and that police have the right, based on their own imagined fears no matter how unfounded they may be, to kill us…” In addition to Rev. Al Sharpton the verdict caused extreme rage and anger from many people around New York and in the Bronx. More than 200 people gathered in front of the doorway where Amadou Diallo was shot and cried out angry chants directed at the police, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the jury in Albany that acquitted the officers. Furthermore, a group of about 100 protesters angrily marched from Academy Park through Arbor Hill and the South End and returned to the Albany County Courthouse in the early evening after hearing the verdicts. More than a dozen of these angry protesters were arrested in front of City Hall after marching through the streets of Albany. However, not all of New York was as enraged and disgusted as Rev. Al Sharpton and the many angry New Yorkers. In fact, a New York Times/CBS News Poll showed that 30 percent of New Yorkers did agree with the verdict, 50 percent of New Yorkers disagreed with the verdict, and 20 percent was undecided. An argument for the verdict stated by Patrick Lynch, Police Union President, said, “ You have an obligation to save yourself…to save the four police officers…the citizens that might be behind you…this all comes into play. When we’re in the courtroom where you can hear a pin drop its easy to second guess. But when you’re standing on that stoop and everything is breaking loose, that’s what the police officer is dealing with.”
After Amadou Diallo was murdered, there were various trials to determine the outcome of the four police officers. On April 18, 2000 Diallo’s family had decided to sue the four officers and New York City for $61 million, $20 million for “actual damages”, and $41 million (one million for each bullet fired), all for their pain and suffering. They were suing because they believed that the officers deliberately shot Diallo because of his race. The Diallo murder trials were originally supposed to be held in Soundview, but the “appellate” court decided to move the trials to Albany, which caused more discrepancies among protestors who gathered out side the courtroom in Albany. Protestors believed the trials were going to be unfair because Albany had a higher percent of Caucasian Americans and there was no reason to move the hearing. Out of a jury of twelve, only four were African American. On February 25, 2000, the four New York police officers, Kenneth Boss, Sean Carroll, Edward McMellon and Richard Murphy were acquitted of all charges for the shooting of Diallo, but they had their badges and guns taken away, and were dismissed from the force. There were thousands of protestors the day after the trial. The protestors were blocking traffic because of the unjust verdict for the four police officers; there were ninety arrests for disorderly conduct that day.
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